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Cullman Family Award for Excellence in Physician Communication Honors Outstanding Providers

Nov 18, 2021 | Featured, Stories of Excellence

For the past six years, the Cullman Family Award for Excellence in Physician Communication has honored Mount Sinai Health System physicians and advanced practice providers who demonstrate exceptional communication in clinical practice. This year 74 outstanding Mount Sinai providers were honored, more than ever before.

Recipients of this year’s award were ranked in the top one percent nationally in provider communication for 2020 as measured by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG CAHPS) patient experience survey.

Patients’ Tributes to Cullman Award honorees

“She listened to all my needs and was kind enough to understand all my anxieties.”

“He reassured me it would be all right, and he was so kind and compassionate. I was tormented in pain, and he gave me back my life.”

“I felt very cared for. Communication and bedside manner are things you hear about, but until you experience the real thing, I had no idea the affect it would have on my health and on my life.”

The awardees, listed below, were honored at a virtual ceremony on Monday, November 8. Thirty-one of the honorees—42 percent—are prior recipients, and six of them have won the awards in three or more years.

This year’s ceremony was hosted by Erica Rubinstein, MS, LCSW, CPXP, Vice President of Service Excellence and Patient Experience, and Stephen Fecteau, Senior Manager, Talent Development and Learning. The event included a special and moving video featuring patients speaking about why they nominated some of the honorees and tributes from Susan and Edgar Cullman, Jr., whose father, Edgar Cullman Sr., conceived of a program dedicated to patient experience at Mount Sinai 20 years ago.

“We are particularly proud of these providers whose goal is to put patients at the center of everything they do,” Ms. Rubinstein said of the honorees. “Their commitment to the Mount Sinai values—safety, empathy, creativity, teamwork, equality and agility—is on display every day.”

Mount Sinai Begins Offering COVID-19 Vaccines to Young Children

Nov 12, 2021 | COVID-19, Featured, Vaccines

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Soon after receiving the go-ahead from federal and state regulators, Mount Sinai moved quickly last week to begin offering vaccines to children age 5 to 11.

This was a moment that parents—including many in the Mount Sinai community—had been waiting for, a step toward ending the pandemic and moving back toward a more normal life. Vaccines for children age 12 to 15 were authorized in May. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first authorized COVID-19 vaccines for adults in December 2020.

Lower dose Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines were offered at special pods at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and Mount Sinai South Nassau used its popular Vaxmobile to deliver shots to children in the neighboring communities.

“COVID-19 has significantly affected our children in so many ways—even those who have not been sick have endured effects on their emotional and mental health, decreased physical activity, the loss of in-person learning and, for some, the loss of parents or other caregivers,” says Vicki R. LoPachin, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Mount Sinai Health System. “But the data show this vaccine to have very high efficacy at reducing infections and producing strong antibody responses, so we are confident it will be effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths in our most vulnerable young ones. We encourage all of you who have children in your families to speak to your child’s health care provider, and schedule vaccination appointments as soon as you can.”

One focus at the outset was offering vaccinations to high-risk and the most vulnerable pediatric patients like Lexi Isler, who was born without a bladder and underwent a series of medical procedures before receiving a kidney transplant from her father, Luther, at Mount Sinai in early 2019.

“This is a great day. Having the vaccine relieves some of the mental stress,” her father said, standing beside his daughter after she received the vaccine. “We always wondered about her compromised immune system, and now we don’t have to worry quite as much with this extra layer of protection.” Lexi said she looks forward to going more places, including those that require vaccination. Immunocompromised people, such as transplant patients or those being treated for some cancers, have a reduced ability to fight infections and are more vulnerable to severe COVID-19.

To make an appointment at Mount Sinai for vaccination for anyone age 5 and older, click here. In addition, check the New York State, New York City, New Jersey, or Connecticut websites for other locations that offer appointments or walk-in vaccination. New York City is also offering in-home vaccinations for all residents 12 and over, as well as mobile vaccination vans

Mount Sinai is very pleased to now be able to offer the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children age 5 to 11, says Lisa M. Satlin, MD, the Herbert H. Lehman Professor of Pediatrics and Chair of the Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Pediatrician-in-Chief of the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital.

“Clinical studies in more than 2,000 children in this specific age group showed that the vaccine was extremely effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and generated a robust antibody response,” Dr. Satlin says. “It is critical that all children—and especially those disproportionately affected by COVID-19—be vaccinated to not only protect them from the short and long-term effects of infection, but to eliminate the secondary impact of disease on in-person education and other interactions that are critical to growing children’s mental and physical well-being.”

When the Pediatric Vaccine Pod opened on Thursday, November 4, at The Mount Sinai Hospital, staff from the hospital’s Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department were on hand to support the children arriving for this historic opportunity, and they will continue to staff the pods as long as needed.

While the development of a COVID-19 vaccine for children age 5 to 11 brings great excitement and optimism in the fight against COVID-19, for many children getting an injection can be a scary experience. Child Life Specialists work with children and their caregivers to identify coping strategies to mitigate fears and anxieties related to medical experiences such as vaccines.

Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, the provision of popular items such as an iPad or bubbles to help alternate focus, and comfort positioning where a child is securely held in a caregiver’s lap, are some of the ways the child life specialists work alongside the medical team to enhance the patient experience.

Child life specialists and music therapists helped to create a supportive patient and family centered environment. Music therapists used music as a technique for coping during the injection, and also provided live music throughout the space to set a calming tone.

“This is a great opportunity to translate supportive interventions that have been impactful to our patient and families in our inpatient and outpatient environments into a new area of care,” says Licensed Music Therapist Todd O’Connor.

The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy team makes sure that children leave their visit feeling proud of their accomplishment. The children received a vaccine sticker along with activity books and other fun give-away items that were available for them to use during the vaccine observation period and to take home from their visit.

“We are delighted to partner in this important initiative,” says Child Life Specialist Cheryl Strauss. “We realize that the vaccine is a two-part series, and we aim to help children recognize their strengths and coping abilities for successful return visits.”

Make an appointment at Mount Sinai for vaccination for anyone age 5 and older

Get more information from Mount Sinai about COVID-19 vaccines

Is Your Child Afraid of Getting a Shot From the Doctor? Here’s How to Help Them

Nov 9, 2021 | Children's Health, COVID-19, Featured, Vaccines, Your Health

A trip to the doctor is a common childhood fear. But when kids are afraid of needles, even a simple checkup can cause problems for children and their parents or guardians alike. With the proper preparation and planning, you can help make your next doctor’s visit as smooth as possible, and that’s more important than ever for those getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

In this Q&A, C. Anthoney Lim, MD, the Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine for the Mount Sinai Health System and the Medical Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department and Pediatric Short Stay Unit at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, explains how you can help calm your child’s fears and ease their anxiety about the doctor’s office and needles. And if needed, how you can talk with your doctor in advance about key issues, including medications that can help reduce the pain. Certified child life specialists and music therapists will also be present at the Mount Sinai vaccination pods to help support children of all ages using play, preparation, distraction and relaxation strategies.

“We have plenty of experience with children who are afraid of injections, so we can work with you and your child to ensure they get immunized in a safe and comfortable manner,” says Dr. Lim, who recently gave his own seven-year-old son the vaccine. “We are creating a very family-friendly space for the COVID-19 vaccine because you will need to bring them back in three weeks for their second shot, so it’s especially important that your child has a positive experience.”

How common is it for kids to be afraid of needles?

It is a very common fear. We see it among children who may have been hospitalized or have chronic illnesses and are in the doctor’s office a lot. But a healthy child without any medical problems is equally prone to needle-phobia.

How can I talk to my child who is afraid of needles?

There are many things you can do to help normalize the process, and it’s important to prepare. A lot of it is knowing your child and if they are at an age that we can talk about their fears. Then, prepare them by having a conversation in advance, letting them know what is going to happen at the doctor’s office and explaining what the process may look like. It can help quite a bit. Not all kids want to talk about it. But they are generally pretty smart, and they will know they are going to the doctor and what they are going for. It’s also worth remembering: Kids will often follow your lead. So if you are prepared and calm, your children will more likely be prepared and calm

Anything more specific?

For younger kids, play can be a really helpful way to prepare for a doctor visit. It provides children the opportunity to approach the event with a sense of control while creating a safe environment to express feelings and to practice coping strategies. One option for younger kids is showing them with their stuffed animal or having them play doctor to get used to what happens when you get your vaccine. For instance, when we were teaching kids how to use masks, we had them make a mask or put a mask on their teddy bear so they can see what it looks like. This is a similar process.

What about bringing something to distract my child?

You can bring a toy to distract them or a doll or plaything they can squeeze really hard. Tablets or smart phones are fine, so make sure your devices are charged. You can bring a cold pack because sometimes that will numb the area a little bit and that is often helpful. There are special cold packs for kids that also include a vibrating tiny bee that can help soothe and distract young children.

Any other techniques?

There are many relaxation strategies that children of all ages can use when feeling anxious and worried. One example is deep breathing—taking deep breaths right before the shot, and then breathing out as the shot is being delivered, can help minimize the discomfort. For younger kids, there are specific positioning techniques you can use, basically a big hug that exposes their arm for the nurse to administer the shot.

What about medications?

Most of the time, approaches that do not involve medications work really well in kids. Prescription medications require a visit or a discussion with your doctor beforehand. There are prescription products, like EMLA or ELA-Max, which are creams that contain a local anesthetic we sometimes use for children for some injections and vaccines. You put the cream on your child’s arm before you go to the doctor’s office because it takes about an hour to kick in. Over-the-counter topical creams are also available.

Is it okay to take over-the-counter pain relievers?

We recommend pain relievers like Motrin or Tylenol but only if your child experiences muscle pain or fevers after they receive the shot, and not beforehand.

How is Mount Sinai helping to make the vaccination process easier for young kids?

At our hospitals, we are setting up special areas for vaccinations for young children. We want to make it a child-friendly, family-friendly environment. We want to make sure that they have a great experience

What should I do if I have more questions?

There are some great resources online, such as from the American Academy of Pediatrics and from the Meg Foundation, an organization that helps families with pain management. A conversation with your pediatrician is very valuable.

Get more information about COVID-19 Vaccination, Appointments and Resources

Mount Sinai Neuroscience Student Earns NIH Fellowship to Study Substance Use Disorders

Oct 29, 2021 | Diversity and Inclusion, Featured, Research

Can the bacteria in your gut influence addictive behavior? That is the question that Katherine Meckel is studying and trying to answer. Currently a fifth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Ms. Meckel is one of 31 young scientists from across the country to be honored with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award.

The award will provide Ms. Meckel with a six-year, $447,000 fellowship to fund the remaining two years of her PhD studies, as well as four years of postdoctoral research. The D-SPAN Award recognizes outstanding trainees from historically underrepresented communities in the sciences.

Working in the lab of Drew D. Kiraly, MD, PhD, Ms. Meckel is drawing upon her background in gastroenterology and neuropharmacology to study the effects of the gut microbiome on gene expression and behavior in a rodent model of cocaine use disorder.

“When we look at human patients and also animal models of substance use disorders, we see highly altered gene expression in response to cocaine and other drugs of abuse,” she explains. “This seems to emerge from long-term adaptations or ‘molecular scars’ which affect the ability of gene sequences in the DNA to be accessed and expressed. My work seeks to understand how gut bacteria and the metabolites they produce regulate the structure and accessibility of the DNA, influencing gene expression and ultimately drug-seeking behaviors.”

Dr. Kiraly, her dissertation advisor, praises her tenacity in establishing a new line of research within the field of neuroscience. “Katherine has generated a tremendous amount of exciting data, which provides insight into the mechanisms of gut-brain communication,” says Dr. Kiraly, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, at Icahn Mount Sinai. “Her work holds potential to uncover novel pathways for drug development, which may one day lead to much-needed treatments for patients with substance use disorders.”

Trusting Her Gut Intuition

As an undergraduate, Ms. Meckel pursued a rigorous five-year dual degree program in Voice Performance and Biochemistry at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. There, she conducted neuropharmacology research under Bruce Hetzler, PhD, studying the effects of methylphenidate (Ritalin) on rodent behavior and visual processing.

After graduating, she joined the Section of Gastroenterology at the University of Chicago, working under Joel Pekow, MD, and Marc Bissonnette, MD, to study the effects of diet and metabolism on inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.

Ms. Meckel credits her time in gastroenterology for encouraging a more integrative physiological approach, which now informs her studies. “Often times in neuroscience, we study the brain in isolation,” she says. “But it’s important to consider that the brain exists in communication with the other peripheral organs throughout the body, and they influence each other’s activity.”

Building Community for Students With Disabilities

Ms. Meckel has also emerged as a leader in disability rights since joining Icahn Mount Sinai. Together with classmates Jessica Pintado Silva and Marisa Goff, she co-founded Disability Rights, Education, and Awareness at Mount Sinai (DREAMS), which provides peer mentoring and support to graduate students with visible and invisible disabilities.

“As a queer, disabled individual, I often compare living with invisible chronic illness to ‘being in the closet.’ If you didn’t know me well, you probably wouldn’t realize I am disabled,” she says. “But much of my life outside of lab is characterized by managing chronic health flares.”

Ms. Meckel expressed gratitude to her advisors and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for supporting her training. “I hope that my experience inspires disabled and chronically ill trainees to continue in the sciences,” she says. “So we can share our unique perspectives and bring new innovation to STEM.”

Eleven Medical Schools Join Mount Sinai’s Project to Eliminate Racism and Bias From Medical Education

Oct 28, 2021 | Diversity and Inclusion, Featured

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has selected 11 medical schools to join a newly launched collaboration to eliminate racism and bias in medical education.

The project—called Anti-Racist Transformation in Medical Education (ART in Med Ed)—will engage these schools in using training modules and tools that were developed at Mount Sinai to foster and manage anti-racist cultural change. The new collaboration was made possible by a generous grant from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation.

Last summer, Icahn Mount Sinai invited medical schools throughout North America to send proposals to join this effort. Forty-eight schools, or approximately one-third of all accredited medical schools, responded. Eleven were chosen based on their commitment to implementing a transformational-change strategy and willingness to build a diverse team of leaders, faculty, students, and staff that would be able to participate over three years. Mount Sinai sought to include private and public schools, as well as MD and DO programs, from a broad geographic range.

Leona Hess, PhD

One of the participating schools is the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at the University of California, Los Angeles. According to Julian McNeil, DGSOM’s Racism Program Manager, the medical school had committed $5 million to anti-racism efforts in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ART in Med Ed program, he says, will provide DGSOM with a framework to guide these efforts.

“It was clear that Mount Sinai had given considerable thought to how organizational science and change management could be applied to advancing anti-racism efforts in a medical school context, and that is what we loved about the project,” Mr. McNeil explains. “This is a model for change that is grounded in theory that has been tested and refined, and that provides us with best practices to guide our work.”

The University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM), based in San Antonio, Texas, is also participating in the ART in Med Ed project. UIWSOM graduated its first class in May 2021, and was motivated to participate in ART in Med Ed for several reasons, says Linda Grace Solis, PhD, Assistant Professor of Applied Humanities, Department of Clinical and Applied Science Education.

Students had expressed an interest in exploring ways in which the school was perpetuating ideas that could lead to inequities, she says, and had voiced concerns over elements of the curriculum, such as the predominant use of imagery of white people in dermatology classes.

Jennifer Dias, a rising third-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine, is devoting a scholarly year to helping run the Art in Med Ed project.

“What appealed to us about ART in Med Ed was the project’s structure and its focus on change management,” Dr. Solis says. “I see that as the secret sauce that is missing from most diversity, equity, and inclusion work because it helps people understand why this change matters so that they get on board.”

The Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is also part of the ART in Med Ed project. “It is helpful to be part of a group that is moving in the same direction, and to have an external partner guiding us, because it takes some of the weight off our shoulders in figuring out how to do this,” says Todd A. Bates, PhD, MSEd, MA, Education and Learning Specialist with the Center for Education Research and Evaluation at Columbia University, who is working with Mount Sinai. “There is also a degree of hopefulness that comes with participating in a project that has a proven track record in this area. All these elements are a huge benefit in making progress and achieving more equity for our students, faculty, and staff.”

Leona Hess, PhD, Director of Strategy and Equity Education Programs at Icahn Mount Sinai, who helped create and now leads the ART in Med Ed project, says ongoing feedback from the participating students, staff, and faculty at each school will help Mount Sinai improve the project.

“We want to see whether the schools are able to use our learning strategy, content, design, and support to build capacity and address and dismantle racism regardless of their location or demographics,” Dr. Hess says. “As we gather that information, we will refine our learning modules and tools and look at the possibility of bringing more schools on board.”

The goal, she says, is for all medical schools to ultimately dismantle racism and bias from their learning environments so that all patients receive health care that is just, equitable, and free of racism and bias.

The following is a list of all 11 schools that will be part of Mount Sinai’s ART in Med Ed project:

College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles

Duke University School of Medicine

East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine

The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences

The Ohio State University College of Medicine

University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

University of Minnesota Medical School

University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine

University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine

Phillips School of Nursing Announces Scholarship for Students From Underrepresented Groups

Oct 21, 2021 | Community, Diversity and Inclusion, Featured

The Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel has granted nursing scholarships to eight students who belong to racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in nursing.

Funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, the scholarships are part of the agency’s Nursing Workforce Diversity Program, which strives to encourage diversity in an inclusive and equitable environment.

This year’s recipients are Maria Colon, Paola Coronel, Jeefry De La Cruz, Jessica Guaman, Autumn Johnson, Julissa Lorenzo, Thayshamarie Rodriguez, and Adenike Strachan.

“These scholarships build on our efforts to recruit and graduate a diverse group of students,” Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, FNAP, Dean of the Phillips School of Nursing, says of the program. “We are proud to help these students acquire the skills necessary to excel in today’s demanding health care environment.”

The Phillips School of Nursing has received a grant of more than $1.8 million over the next four years to continue distributing the scholarships. It expects to help fund the education of 10 to 12 students from underrepresented groups each year.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, nursing students from minority backgrounds represent only 32 percent of students enrolled in baccalaureate programs. The scholarships will enable these students to enter and graduate from the nursing program, covering the student’s entire time in the program, which lasts for 15 months, or four semesters. It will provide 70 percent of tuition as well as a small stipend to help with living expenses.

Once students are accepted into the Phillips School of Nursing, they are automatically considered for the scholarship. To qualify, students must be educationally or economically disadvantaged and come from a minority background that is underrepresented in nursing. This includes those who are American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, or Hispanic of any race.

In addition to scholarship funds, the program provides academic and support services to all nursing students. Services include group and individual tutoring sessions, mentoring, a writing center, and career readiness workshops.

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